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Intel launches its first Sandy Bridge E chips
CHIPMAKER Intel has launched its first Sandy Bridge E processor, the Core i7 3960x Extreme Edition.
For those after the ultimate peak of performance, Intel's latest processor has six cores and a base clock speed of 3.3GHz. It has Hyper-Threading technology and with Intel's Turbo Boost 2.0 the chip jumps to 3.9GHz.
Intel's latest and greatest comes with 15MB of Smart Cache but requires a new motherboard with the LGA2011 socket based on Intel's X79 Express Platform Controller Hub. It has twice the memory bandwidth as the previous Core i7 990x with its four memory channels.
Intel said, "The [second] generation Intel Core i7 processor Extreme Edition is the perfect engine for power users who demand unparalleled performance for unlimited digital creativity."
A second six core chip, the Core i7 3930K has a clock speed of 3.2GHz, a 12MB cache and can reach up to 3.8GHz using Turbo Boost 2.0. Both chips have unlocked multipliers for overclocking and, for the first time, four memory channels.
A third Sandy Bridge E chip, the Core i7 3820 will be a quad-core chip clocked at 3.6GHz. However, it will only be partially unlocked with a maximum core multiplier. All three chips have a thermal design power (TDP) of 130W.
These processors are aimed at power hungry users with deep pockets, as the chips are priced between £479 and £839. µ
Tags: Hardware
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Intel made a big mistake releasing the mainstream Sandy Bridge chips first, instead of its "high-performance" variants, because it is now in the unenviable position of seeing people stick with a mainstream/budget solution and skipping the current high-end chips.
I usually buy high-end, but Sandy Bridge-E doesn't interest me in the slightest. I will just wait, and buy an Ivy Bridge mainstream system next year - and watch it outperform the Sandy Bridge-E chips released now.
Poor show. Intel would have been better-off skipping Sandy Bridge-E and focusing on delivering Ivy Bridge-E, since with Ivy Bridge around the corner, Sandy Bridge-E was always going to be obsolete before it was even launched - especially with no USB3 and no PCI Express v3 support.
Well I have to agree that they are too expensive especially if they require a whole new Motherboard as its not likely to support Ivy Bridge. I think I would be more inclined to wait for the new Dual Socket Xeons which will probably be about the same price and give you more room for upgrade in the future or see what new E3 chips they come out with at the end of the year. Of course that does not help gamers as its rare to find Dual CPU boards with Crossfire / SLI as they are really server chips. If I was a gamer, I would probably now wait and see what happens in February.
Well based on any number of reviews Sandy Bridge-E is too expensive as a CPU and the mobo prices are absurd also. Thus most folks are saying, no thanks and sticking with Sandy Bridge.
This looks like another Intel fantasy cash cow like Ultrabooks that they can't give away.